Events & Workshops

2023 plans

 

January 2023 sees the first collaboration between Geography Workshop and Leftfield Yoga Studio in running our very first Yoga for Scholars online virtual writing and yoga retreat.  Monday 9th - Wednesday 11th January, 10am - 4pm GMT. Non-directed writing retreat with added and optional hatha yoga practise designed specifically to support the minds and bodies of scholars (screens of delegates will be turned off for the yoga so no need to worry about practising yoga in view of anyone else!). Early-bird tickets for this are limited until the end of December 2022 then a promo code to reduce the full cost of the course can be found in new year posts.  Keep your eyes peeled (but much better to book in advance as the early-bird is the cheapest option available and secures your place. Spaces are limited so get in early Yoga for Scholars Tickets, Mon 9 Jan 2023 at 10:00 | Eventbrite

 

Introducing Leftfield Yoga Studio!

In October 2022, Geography Workshop launched its sister company, Leftfield Yoga Studio - a virtual yoga studio established to support and promote hatha yoga practices working both in-person and online with community groups and individuals to support and promote mental and physical well-being through the practices of breathwork (pranayama), Movement and postures (asanas) and meditation.

Running a 6-week beginners hatha yoga course from 1st November - 13th December 2022, this will run alongside Jo fundraising for Macmillan Cancer Research charity as part of their November yoga challenge to help support mental and physical wellbeing through yoga and raising vital funds for the work of Macmillan researchers and their practical support of communities and families affected by cancer.

 

2022 Virtual Writing Retreat (Geography Workshop organising and running on behalf of the HGRG-RGS

Our first writing retreat of 2022 will run between 10:00 GMT – 21:00 GMT Monday 10th – Wednesday 12th January inclusive. The intention over the three days is to support scholarly research writing ambitions at the start of a new calendar.

Creating a safe, accessible and supportive collegial virtual space is intended to give focus, community connection and encouragement, enabling scholars from around the globe at all stages of their research and writing careers to find collegial connection while working on their individual research and writing ambitions. Scholars ranging from undergraduate wishing to complete essays, postgraduates working on independent research projects, postdocs completing papers, non-tenured academic researchers and independent scholars wishing to complete writing projects or tenured academics wishing to find connection while working on writing up work have all found these sessions of value and this now marks the fifth year it has run and it has become in recent years a much looked forward event in the academic year of the Historical Geography Research Group of the Royal Geographical Society.

You are welcomed to join in as much or as little as you are able either in real time or at times suitable to your geographical location and to share progress and writing plans via social media (Twitter #HGRG_VWR2022. Please include @Geo_Workshop and @HGRG_RGS so that we are able to connect with you).

There are three ways you can join the virtual writing retreat:

  1. Should you wish to share your experiences and progress during the virtual writing retreat, you can connect and share your progress via twitter. We will be tweeting throughout the three days #HGRG_VWR2022 and add @geo_workshop. Feel free to connect during this time, remembering that the core of our work is to support, encourage and enable ALL. Please ensure your comments are constructive and collegially supportive. Download the virtual writing retreat general overview booklet (this booklet!). This gives general hints and tips in how to plan writing goals for yourself over the three days that will serve YOU and your wider scholarly ambitions for the following year. Spending time on your specific goals and objectives will help in shaping the specific ways you use your time and resources during the virtual writing retreat. Know that you are working alongside others can provide motivational support, but there is no need for you to connect if you do not. This event aims to enable you to serve your writing and scholarly goals. That is what remains important.
  2. If you are unable to join us due to the timing of the sessions, please do consider joining over the three days when you can in the timezone you are located and connect via social media. We plan for greater inclusivity in the virtual timings of our sessions in future plans for 2022.  Please follow @geo_workshop on twitter where these updates will be posted. These diverse virtual writing spaces have been organised with the central purpose to connect scholarly communities of practitioners. We all write and work differently and have our own set of situated circumstances and resources available to us. Know that you are welcomed and encouraged to join in ways that are most supportive of your own preference to support your scholarly writing ambitions and connect with global historical & cultural geography practitioners.
  3. The final way you can join and hold yourself accountable is to register via Eventbrite on this link https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/january-2022-virtual-scholarly-writing-retreat-4-hgrg-tickets-215306075267 . This way is encouraged if you would like to work in the virtual visual company of other scholars.  Screens can be kept on or turned off, but in previous virtual writing sessions attendees have noted how logging on and turning up has provided additional accountability for undertaking their work. There are limited free places for non-tenured and low income scholars, but those who are in secure tenured employment are asked to pay the full price for attending each day via Zoom link which you will receive on registering.  Dr Jo Norcup will be hosting all three days and be writing along with you on screen.

This writing retreat has been running for the past 5 years and the last two have been run by Geography Workshop at its expense via Zoom.  If you find these sessions useful, it would be great if you could donate the price of a cup of coffee to ensure that Geography Workshop is able to sustain its virtual scholarly support events into the following year.  As with all our events, 20% of funds received is donated to our chosen charities which, since 2020 has been Arts Emergency and The Black Curriculum

 

Sunday Scholarly Writing Sessions 2021.

Continuing from the success of these weekly 50-minute non-directed writing sessions via Zoom, Geography Workshop extended running these sessions for the remainder of the Autumn and Winter 2021.  These have been incrementally productive sessions with a number of papers, publications, conference presentations and events organised during these weekly sessions.

 

Geography Workshop will continue running the weekly writing sessions on Sunday evenings during 2022 starting on Sunday 9th January 2022.  If you are interested in coming along, please contact Dr Jo Norcup via the Geography Workshop Ko-Fi page or email info@geographyworkshop.com

 

  • May - July 2021 - Virtual Scholarly Retreats - Five x two-day Virtual scholarly retreats - non-directed to facilitate space and time for scholars around the world to connect and create time to focus on their scholarly projects - whatever the plans: writing (articles, book proposals, grant applications, teaching prep, dissertation planning, revision), reading or planning for your scholarly working year ahead, scholars from around the world are encouraged to join via social media (twitter) #GW_VSR2021 or else join (donation) via Zoom (register for this via Eventbrite). Dates: 17-18th, 24 - 25th May, 14-15th, 21st - 22nd May, 19th - 20th July 2021.
  • January 2021 - July 2021 - Sunday Scholarly Writing Sessions - weekly virtual (Zoom) undirected scholarly writing sessions designed to facilitate collegial connection and writing time for scholars and academics at all stages of their careers spanning historical and cultural geography, history and arts. These weekly hour long sessions allow international colleagues to connect and discuss elements of the writing and research process and we have had global attendees from the Americas, Europe and across the UK.  Follow Geography Workshop on Eventbrite to for details about our plans for the academic year 2021/2022 and for our #VirtualScholarlyRetreats
  • February 2020 - Introductory talk followed by a Q&A at the UK screening of the PBS American Masters documentary film Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart (2019, Director Tracy Heather Strain), Broadway Cinema, Nottingham February 2020 part of the Broadway’s LGBTQ+ Season Sponsored by Nottingham City Council’s LGBT Employee Network).
  • January 2018 - 2021 - HGRG (Virtual) Writing Retreat. In 2018 we organised a writing retreat on behalf of HGRG-RGS that was both residential (Gladstone Library, Hawarden) and a parallel virtual writing retreat for those who were unable to attend in person.  This was reprised again in 2019, and then virtually for the first time in 2020, enabling historians and historical geographers from around the world to join in the dedicated three days of scholarly writing as necessitated by their own work commitments/goals.  National and international collegiate support has grown and this has now become an established fixture on the HGRG calendar, enabling all who work on themes of an historical and geographical hue to join in as their circumstances allow.
  • November 2019 - HGRG Practising Historical Geography Conference (University of Nottingham) organised the entire event with support from admin staff in the School of Geography (Sue Davis, Ian Conway), University of Nottingham catering, and V-Spot vegan catering (Nottingham).  Thanks to all speakers and workshop convenors for enriching the day and especially to delegates.
  • May 2019 - Geography Workshop's Two-day bespoke Geography Podcast Workshops (Commissioned by the School of Geography, University of Exeter).
  •   July 26th 2018 - Beyond The Pedestrian: Walking in Research, Theory, Practise and Performance - University of Liverpool - Invited Plenary Speaker reflecting on Geography Workshop, giving sound to silenced voices and power of creative productions: reflecting on 'Er Outdoors and The Art of Now.
  • October 22nd 2016 - Alternative School of Economics - Launch Rabbits Road Institute Library, Old Manor Park Library, Romford Road. Talk with Dr Alice Corble: The Spirit of '64 in 2016: Public Libraries as Emancipatory spaces.

If you would like to Geography Workshop to organise a workshop or event, please email for further details at info@geographyworkshop.com.

If you would like to donate to Geography Workshop's ongoing work during the global pandemic, please see our Ko-Fi page

For a comprehensive list of academic papers given by Dr Joanne Norcup, please see http://jonorcup.com